U.S. patent number 11,147,305 [Application Number 16/314,113] was granted by the patent office on 2021-10-19 for food preparation device for sealing together two pieces of bread.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sveadanerna Food AB. The grantee listed for this patent is Sveadanerna Food AB. Invention is credited to Lars Bendix, Hakan Johan Lofholm.
United States Patent |
11,147,305 |
Bendix , et al. |
October 19, 2021 |
Food preparation device for sealing together two pieces of
bread
Abstract
A food preparation device and a bread mold. The food preparation
device includes a bottom unit for accommodating a first piece of
bread and a top unit for accommodating a second piece of bread. The
bottom and the top units each have a flat edge extending outwardly
the circumference of the bottom unit respectively the circumference
of the top unit. The flat edge of the first piece of bread and the
flat edge of the second piece of bread are provided with an edible
and organic adhesive layer, for enabling the sealing together of
the two pieces of bread along the flat edges when moving the top
unit from the open position to a closing position, thereby avoiding
leakage before consumption.
Inventors: |
Bendix; Lars (Randers NO,
DK), Lofholm; Hakan Johan (Huddinge, SE) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sveadanerna Food AB |
Nykoping |
N/A |
SE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Sveadanerna Food AB (Nykoping,
SE)
|
Family
ID: |
63370178 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/314,113 |
Filed: |
February 14, 2018 |
PCT
Filed: |
February 14, 2018 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/SE2018/050136 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
December 28, 2018 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2018/160116 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
September 07, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190230975 A1 |
Aug 1, 2019 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
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Feb 28, 2017 [SE] |
|
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1750215-4 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J
37/0611 (20130101); A21D 13/32 (20170101); A47J
37/06 (20130101); A23P 20/20 (20160801); A47J
37/0864 (20130101); A47J 37/01 (20130101); A23P
30/10 (20160801) |
Current International
Class: |
A23P
20/20 (20160101); A23P 30/10 (20160101); A47J
37/08 (20060101); A47J 37/06 (20060101); A47J
37/01 (20060101); A21D 13/32 (20170101) |
Field of
Search: |
;99/349,351,354,372,374-377,379,380-384,426,427,428,439,441-442 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2200921 |
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Jun 1995 |
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CN |
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1120306 |
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Apr 1996 |
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CN |
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101990920 |
|
Mar 2011 |
|
CN |
|
205006689 |
|
Feb 2016 |
|
CN |
|
106108719 |
|
Nov 2016 |
|
CN |
|
1 676 481 |
|
Jul 2006 |
|
EP |
|
2 521 419 |
|
Aug 1983 |
|
FR |
|
1162640 |
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Aug 1969 |
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GB |
|
101800800 |
|
Dec 2017 |
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KR |
|
1994/09644 |
|
May 1994 |
|
WO |
|
2005034698 |
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Apr 2005 |
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WO |
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2008118965 |
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Oct 2008 |
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WO |
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2017/066812 |
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Apr 2017 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Extended European Search Report issued in corresponding European
Patent Application No. 18761589.3 dated Jul. 29, 2020, consisting
of 5 pages. cited by applicant .
Chinese Office Action and Search Report together with English
translation of same issued in corresponding Chinese Patent
Application No. 201880004788.X dated Nov. 18, 2020, consisting of
13 pages. cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Apr. 11, 2018
and issued in corresponding PCT Application No. PCT/SE2018/050136,
consisting of 14 pages. cited by applicant .
Chinese Office Action and Search Report together with English
translation of same issued in corresponding Chinese Patent
Application No. 201880004788.X dated Jun. 2, 2021, consisting of 15
pages. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Phuong T
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Christopher & Weisberg,
P.A.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A food preparation device for sealing together two pieces of
bread, the device comprising: a bottom unit for accommodating the
first piece of bread having the same form as the bottom unit; a top
unit for accommodating the second piece of bread having the same
form as the top unit; the bottom unit and the top unit each
comprising a horizontally flat edge along the circumference of the
bottom unit respectively and the circumference of the top unit,
respectively; the top unit being movable from an open position to a
closing position for enabling the sealing together of the two
pieces of bread along a flat edge of the first piece of bread and a
flat edge of the second piece of bread, wherein the flat edge of
the first piece of bread and the flat edge of the second piece of
bread are provided with an edible and organic adhesive layer for
enabling the sealing together of the two pieces of bread along the
flat edges, thereby avoiding an edible filling content of the
sealed bread from leaving the bread before consumption; wherein the
top unit and the bottom unit having a plurality of openings evenly
distributed over the surface of the top unit and the bottom unit,
respectively; a water tank for storing water; and at least one
water pump connected to the water tank, the at least one water pump
configured to deliver a spray of water through the plurality of
openings of the top unit and the bottom unit.
2. The food preparation device according to claim 1, wherein the
bottom unit and the top unit each are provided with a heating
unit.
3. The food preparation device according to claim 2, wherein the
flat edge has a width of at least 0.5 cm.
4. The food preparation device according to claim 1, wherein the
flat edge has a width of at least 0.5 cm.
5. The food preparation device according to claim 1, further
comprising a controller, wherein the water is sprayed through the
holes on the top layer of the first and second pieces of bread in a
manner controlled by the controller and in regular intervals during
the preparation of the bread such that the top layer of the pieces
of bread gets crispy.
6. The food preparation device according to claim 5 wherein the
controller is one of automatically and manually controlled.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Submission Under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 371 for
U.S. National Stage Patent Application of International Application
Number: PCT/SE2018/050136, filed Feb. 14, 2018 entitled "A FOOD
PREPARATION DEVICE FOR SEALING TOGETHER TWO PIECES OF BREAD," which
claims priority to Swedish Application No. 1750215-4, filed Feb.
28, 2017, entitled "A FOOD PREPARATION DEVICE FOR SEALING TOGETHER
TWO PIECES OF BREAD" the entirety of both of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a food preparation device for
sealing together two pieces of bread and to a bread mold for the
preparation of the two pieces of bread suitable for using in the
food preparation device.
BACKGROUND
Sealed sandwich makers are known in the art. The sandwich is
typically made by filling the space between two pieces of bread
with various ingredients such as fillings, vegetables, meat etc.
The edges of the bread are then sealed together under force such
that the inner ingredients do not leak out. In conventional
sandwich makers the bread is sealed between two metal plates that
cooperate with one another via a hinge. Due to this application of
force, however, the metal plates also apply a lateral force to the
bread pieces, which causes the bread pieces to move relative to one
another. When the bread pieces are out of alignment, the
peripheries of the bread pieces are unevenly sealed, creating an
inadequate seal between the pieces and thereby leading to
ingredient leakage. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a
sandwich maker that ensures the bread pieces are aligned during
sealing to ensure that the content of the sandwich does not
leak.
SUMMARY
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a food preparation device for sealing two pieces of bread
together. The food preparation device comprises a bottom unit for
accommodating the first piece of bread having the same form as the
bottom unit; a top unit for accommodating the second piece of bread
having the same form as the top unit; the bottom unit and the top
unit each comprising a flat edge extending outwardly the
circumference of the bottom unit respectively the circumference of
the top unit, the top unit being movable from an open position to a
closing position for enabling the sealing together of the two
pieces of bread along a flat edge of the first piece of bread and a
flat edge of the second piece of bread, wherein the flat edge of
the first piece of bread and the flat edge of the second piece of
bread are provided with an edible and organic adhesive layer, for
enabling the sealing together of the two pieces of bread along the
flat edges when closing the top unit over the bottom unit, thereby
avoiding the edible filling content of the sealed bread to leave
the sealed bread before consumption.
According to another aspect herein, there is provided a bread mold
comprising a first bread mold piece and a second bread mold piece,
the two bread mold pieces being attached together along one side of
the bread mold by means of a hinge, wherein the first bread mold
piece comprises a base and a flat edge extending outwardly the
circumference of the base, for accommodating a first piece of bread
having the same form as the first bread mold piece; and wherein the
second bread mold peace comprises a base and a flat edge extending
outwardly the circumference of the base, for accommodating a second
piece of said bread having the same form as the second bread mold
piece, wherein the hinge enables the closing or folding together of
the two bread mold pieces along the flat edges in such a way as the
two pieces of bread are adequately aligned along the flat
edges.
According to another aspect herein, there is provided a sandwich
comprising a first piece of bread and a second piece of bread
similar to the first piece of bread, wherein each piece of bread
comprises a bottom unit surrounded by a flat edge extending
outwardly the circumference of the bottom unit(s) and said flat
edges are provided with an edible and organic adhesive layer for
enabling the sealing together of the two pieces of bread along the
flat edges during preparation of the sandwich in the food
preparation device according to the present invention.
An advantage with the food preparation device according to the
present invention is that the resulting sandwich is sealed avoiding
the content to leak. Hence all flavor of the content is maintained.
Further, the cleaning of the device is less cumbersome as the
surfaces in contact with the pieces of bread during operation are
free from the inner content of the resulting sandwich.
Another advantage is that the pieces of bread are correctly aligned
during the sealing process, leading to an adequate sealing.
Other advantages and a fuller understanding of the invention will
be clear from the following detailed description and the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of the food preparation device
according to the present invention.
FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of the food preparation device
including the two pieces of bread according to the present
invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a bread mold suitable for use to prepare the two
pieces of bread according to an embodiment herein.
FIG. 3 illustrates a sandwich prepared using the food preparation
device according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example water tank, water pump, controller,
and plurality of openings.
FIG. 5 illustrates an example top unit including a heating unit and
an example bottom unit including a heating element.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a food preparation device and, in
particular, to a sandwich maker for making sealed sandwiches.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1B there is illustrated a food preparation
device 100 according to the present invention.
The food preparation device 100 comprises a bottom unit 110A for
accommodating a first piece of bread 140A (see FIG. 2) having the
same form as the bottom unit 110A. The device 100 further comprises
a top unit 110B for accommodating a second piece of bread 140B (see
FIG. 2) having the same form as the top unit 110B. Both the top
unit 110B and the bottom unit 110A are each provided with at least
one heating unit or heating element (not shown) 180 (see FIG. 5).
Further, the bottom unit 110A and the top unit 110B each comprises
a flat edge 120 extending outwardly the circumference of the bottom
unit 110A respectively the circumference of the top unit 110B. The
top unit 110B is movable from an open position to a close position,
as shown in FIG. 1B, for enabling the sealing together of the two
pieces of bread 140, 140B along a flat edge 120 of the first piece
of bread 140A and a flat edge of the second piece of bread 140B. It
should be noted that the dimension of the flat edge 120 of the
pieces of bread is similar to the flat edge 120 of the top
respective bottom units 110B, 110A, thereof the same referral
number 120. The bottom unit 110A and the top unit 110B of the food
preparation device 100 are made of a durable non-adhesive material,
such as metal provided, for example, with a non-stick
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating (e.g. Teflon) resistant to
high temperature e.g. up to 350 degrees or at least 200 degrees.
Such material is easy to clean. As shown the units 110A and 110B
comprises groves. The flat edges 120 of the two pieces of bread are
provided with an edible and organic adhesive layer (like egg or
flour) for enabling the sealing together of the two pieces of bread
140A, 140B, during preparation, thereby avoiding an edible content
of the sealed bread to leave the bread during the preparation of
the sandwich or the baked bread. Hence, before consumption of the
prepared sandwich, no leakage occurs. This is advantageous since
the cleaning of the inner part of the device 100 is less cumbersome
as the surfaces in contact with the pieces of bread during
operation are free from the inner content of the resulting
sandwich.
Also, the edible content is intact and is not absorbed by the
bread. The edge of each piece of bread 140A, 140B, may be baked
very lightly before using the device 100. In this way the proteins
inside the bread do not dry out and therefore may glue together
when toasted under pressure in the food preparation device 100.
Hence, to strengthen the gluing or adhesive operation, the organic
layer, like egg or flour is used to cover the edges 120 of the
pieces of bread 140A, 140B. The width of the edge 120 is at least
0.5 cm and preferably no more than 3 cm. However this is a design
parameter. It is understood that the device 100 is provided with an
electrical power unit or power cord which can be connected to a
power outlet or the like for the heating of the heating elements.
The device 100 is also provided with a knob that is used to
regulate the temperature or to vary the electrical output to the
heating elements. The device 100 may also include additional
features which are not described in details, e.g. a display,
additional knobs, light indicators, etc.
According to an embodiment, the top unit 110B and the bottom unit
110A each comprises a plurality of p(small) perforations or holes
(not shown) 150 evenly distributed over the surface of the top unit
110B respectively of the bottom unit 110A. The food preparation
device 100 further comprises a water tank (not shown) 160 (see FIG.
4) for storing water and at least one water pump (not shown) 162
connected to the water tank 160 and used to deliver a spray of
water through the holes 150 of the top unit 110B and the bottom
unit 110A. The water is sprayed through the holes 150 in a
controlled manner. This can be done automatically or manually by
means of control means, i.e., a controller 170 (see FIG. 4). The
control means may be a button on the device which when pushed, the
water is sprayed over the outer layers of the pieces of bread. The
control means may also be programmed to perform automatic spraying
without involvement of the user of the device 100. The spraying may
be performed at regular intervals during the preparation of the
bread or sandwich. This has the advantage that the top layer of the
pieces of bread 140A, 140B gets crispy. It should be noted that the
water may be led through a plurality of rubber (or plastic) or
metal hoses, connected to the water pump 162, for achieving the
spray operation described above. For example, each end of a hose
may act as a shower during the spraying. The water tank 160 also
comprises an inlet through which water is filled into the tank
160.
It should also be noted that the water tank 160 (and pump 162) is
located in such a way that it is separated from any heating element
of the device 100. This means that the sprayed water does not
evaporate due to the high temperature of the heating elements
during operation.
According to an embodiment, the water tank 160 and the water pump
162 may be a separate unit which is not integrated in the feed
preparation device 100. Instead it is connected to the device 100.
According to another embodiment, the top part and the bottom part
of the device 100 may be provided with an own water tank 160 and
pump 162 (and hoses) for separate spraying operations.
Referring to FIG. 2 there is illustrated, according to an
embodiment herein, a bread mold 200 which may be used for the
preparation of the bread including the two pieces of bread. The
mold is suitable to use in an oven or in a microwave oven. The mold
may be made of metal or any suitable material that is resistant to
heat (e.g. at least 200 degrees or more) in the oven such as
Teflon. Baking of the sandwich may be performed using the mold
before placing the beaked pieces of bread in the food preparation
device 100. As shown, the mold 200 comprises a first bread mold
piece 210 and a second bread mold piece 220, the two bread mold
pieces 210, 220 being attached together along one side of the bread
mold 200 by means of a hinge 230. The first bread mold piece 210
comprises a base 210A and a flat edge 210B extending outwardly the
circumference of the base 210A, for accommodating a first piece of
bread 140A having the same form as the first bread mold piece
(210). The second bread mold peace 220 comprises a base 220A and a
flat edge 220B also extending outwardly the circumference of the
base 220A for accommodating a second piece of said bread 140B
having the same form as the second bread mold piece 220. The hinge
hinge 230 enables the closing together of the two bread mold pieces
210, 220 along the flat edges 120. Each of the flat edges 120 has a
width between 0.5 com and 3 cm, i.e. equal to the dimension of the
edges 120 of the device 100.
According to an embodiment, each base 220A, 220B of the bread mold
comprise a plurality of (small) perforations or holes evenly
distributed over the surface of bases 220A, 220B. This allows water
to be manually sprayed over the top layer respectively the bottom
layer of the two pieces of bread. The water spraying may be
performed using a spray bottle provided with a pump.
According to another aspect herein, there is provided a sandwich
comprising a first piece of bread 140A and a second piece of bread
140B similar to the first piece of bread 140A (see FIG. 1A),
wherein each piece of bread comprises a bottom unit surrounded by a
flat edge 120 extending outwardly the circumference of the bottom
unit(s) and said flat edges 120 are provided with an edible and
organic adhesive layer for enabling the sealing together of the two
pieces of bread along the flat edges during preparation of the
sandwich in the food preparation device 100 according to the
present invention. A side view of a sandwich 300 prepared using the
device 100 (or the bread mold 200) is shown in FIG. 3. As shown the
two pieces of bread are sealed together or glued together along the
edges 120, forming a sandwich, thereby avoiding any leakage of the
content of the sandwich before consumption.
The present invention is not to be considered limited to the
precise construction disclosed. Various adaptations, modifications
and uses of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art to
which the invention relates and the intention is to cover hereby
all such adaptations, modification and uses which fall within the
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *